AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN MIAMIThe 23rd edition of the Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) reached its climax last evening, with the awarding of the Knight Grand Jury Prizes and other honors at the Festival’s Gala Awards Ceremony, held at the historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami.The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation contributed $75,000 (of a total grant of $250,000) to create the Knight Grand Jury Prizes for this year’s Festival, which includes a cash a...
After building several successful partnerships with filmmakers and festivals throughout its first year in business, Austin-based Bside Entertainment has unveiled its innovative platform of services at the South By Southwest (SXSW) 2006 Interactive/Film Trade Show. Bside is led by a strong advisory board that includes writer/producer Steven Bochco, former Polygram Films president Andrew Fogelson, top entertainment attorney Barry Hirsch, Slamdance co-founder and former AFI Fest director Jon Fitzge...
2006 PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL RUNS MARCH 30-APRIL 11 WITH PROGRAMMING FOR ALL AGES The 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival is expanding its programming to the eyes and ears of film lovers of all ages as it introduces a section tailored specifically for families and another that explores music in film for its 15th anniversary season. Produced by the non-profit Philadelphia Film Society, the Festival will run from March 30-April 11 and will show a total of 231 films from 41 countries: 115 feature ...
MUNICH INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVALfrom March 24-26, 2006 at the MathaeserFor the first time this year, MUNICH INTERNATIONAL short film festival takes place in the Bavarian capitol of Munich, the leading city of film production in Germany. Together with a worldwide network of talent scouts and the submission platform reelport.com, which is a cooperation of well-known short film festivals such as Gothenburg, Tampere and Oberhausen, festival director Martin Blankemeyer assembled five programs...
"Tsotsi" Celebrates Miramax’s Oscar Nominated Best Foreign Language Film at Spark Woodfire Grill (BH)South Africa has earned its second consecutive Best Foreign Language Film nomination in the country's history; “Yesterday” 2004 and “Tsotsi” 2005. Written and directed by Gavin Hood and based on a novel by Athol Fugard, both South African natives, “Tsotsi” would be the country’s first Academy Award.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 5, 2006 -- Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg town...
Academy Award-nominated actor/director Edward James Olmos will receive the Maverick Spirit Award at the Cinequest Film Festival, which opens on today in the city of San Jose, California. Nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for his role as a tough-love principal of a Los Angeles inner city high school in the film STAND AND DELIVER (1988), Olmos has received many awards for his theater, film and television work.Olmos began as a rock musician, forming several “garage bands...
The French are coming, the French are coming….again. The annual RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA, a leading showcase for new French films, returns to New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center for an eleventh year. The program of fifteen new features will screen at the Society’s Walter Reade Theater in uptown New York, and, for the first time, have parallel screenings at the IFC Center Theater in Greenwich Village. Festival dates are March 10 to 19.The series is co-presented by Unifrance USA,...
Sir Ben Kingsley, an Oscar winner for his lead role in GANDHI and an Oscar nominee for his role in SEXY BEAST, will receive the Maverick Spirit Award at the Cinequest Film Festival, to be held in the city of San Jose, California from March 1 to 12.Kingsley will present An Afternoon with Sir Ben Kingsley at the historic California Theater in downtown San Jose on March 5th. He will speak about his television, stage and film careers, which have made him one of the most distinguished actors of our t...
The Orange BAFTA – British Academy of Film and Television Awards - ceremony held February 19 in London turned out some surprises in an eclectic number of wins by various actors, directors and producers. The event was hosted by the outstandingly witty Stephen Fry, best known for his role as Oscar Wilde in Wilde. Absolutely every person he presented received a stunning compliment. Even Matt Dillon whom he told the audience he had seen Crash with at the same theater as the awards ceremony - the O...
The crush to get a gander at HOFFMAN AS CAPOTE was so great yesterday that an extra press screening had to be improvised a half hour after the initially scheduled one in the Cinemaxx multi-screen theatre complex. Presumably, the half hour decollage allows reels of the film to be switched from one hall to the other without missing a beat. Unfortunately, the press conference time remained unchanged, so that those condemned to the later viewing (like myself), found the conference already well unde...
During the ten days of the Berlinale most Berlin dailies adorn their front pages with large color photos of celebrity posturings the night before. On Thursday, day number 7 of the fest, however, what was to be seen on all Berlin front pages were shots of men in hooded white spacesuits holding up dead swans fished out of the city lakes, or otherwise attempting to deal with the sudden arrival of the dreaded aviarian flu virus in the midst of the city. Of course, this does not mean that we can exp...
During the ten days of the Berlinale most Berlin dailies adorn their front page with large colour photos of celebrity clowning the night before. On Thursday, day number 7 of the fest, however, what was to be seen on all Berlin front pages were shots of men in hooded white spacesuits holding up dead swans fished out of the city lakes, or otherwise attempting to deal with the sudden arrival of the dreaded aviary virus in the midst of the city. Of course, this does not mean that we can expect to s...
Despite the extra burden of responsibility of making a film in his native South Africa, filmmaker Gavin Hood has happily enjoyed riding the wave of film festivals to success. This has resulted in Hood’s film “Tsotsi” being nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at next month’s Academy Awards. The Oscars will held in Hollywood on March 5. Hood was recently on the South Coast to participate in the director’s panel at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Held ...
The 29th year of Portland's much anticipated showcase of world cinema launches Friday, February 10, 2006 with screenings and an after-film champagne and desert gala swinging into the night.With 150 screenings over 16 days featuring 67 features and 50 short subject films from 35 countries, with many Portland premieres and Oscar submissions for foreign films, the Portland International Film Festival is easily Oregon's biggest film event of the yearOpening Night Films7:00 PM ROLLING FAMILY (ARGENT...
“The Shape of Water” Sometimes the Sparkling Jewels are Diamonds in the RoughSanta Barbara- Not far away from the glitterati of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a movie that may be a diamond in the rough. Kum-Kum Bhavnani’s “The Shape of Water” is so well thought of that Oscar winning actress Susan Sarandon is a part of it. “The Shape of Water” is about five women in four Third World countries who defy odds by using grass roots efforts to make sweeping social chang...
Comedy writer-director Jason Reitman returns to Aspen as this year’s Director Spotlight guest of honor at the 15th annual Aspen Shortsfest, which takes place April 5 – 9 at the Wheeler Opera House and other locations. Aspen Shortsfest’s Closing Night presentation will be Reitman’s feature debut Thank You for Smoking, which has its U.S.premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Based on Christopher Buckley's acclaimed 1994 novel and hailed by Variety as “slick, stylish and sharp-witted,”...
The Italian Film, Fashion and Food Fest arrives in Hollywood for the first time, in grand style beginning Sunday, February 26th and continuing through Saturday, March 4th. Classic and contemporary Italian cinema will be screened daily at the legendary Mann's Chinese 6 Theatres, located in the heart of Hollywood. The festival will celebrate the art of filmmaking in general with emphasis on the proud heritage of Italian cinema in particular. This wonderful festival of Italian film, fashion and f...
Santa Barbara- With several of his former students on hand, the late acting coach Roy London was feted during the Santa Barbara Film Festival showing of "Special Thanks to Roy London". Actors Sharon Stone, Gary Shandling, Julie Warner (who is also a producer of the film), Elizabeth Berkley, Arye Gross, and Rhonda Aldrich joined producers Tim Healy, Karen Montgomery, and director/producer at Santa Barbara's Victoria Hall Theatre on Saturday to screen the film. Afterward, film introducer Stone ...
V.SHANTARAM AWARD for life time achievement conferred to Mr. RAM MOHAN Mumbai International Film festival (MIFF-2006) for documentary, Animation & Short films was ingurated here on January 3, 2006, by Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The Chief Minister conferred Dr.V.Shantaram Award for Life time Achievement to Mr. Ram Mohan, noted animation Film maker & `father of Indian animation' and a pioneer in the animation movement in India. Mr. Ram Mohan was honored with memento, an...
The stories of the famous always have a special appeal, even though they are no more extraordinary than many stories of the poor and unknown. Musos, from Mozart to Johnny Cash, are an especially troublesome lot in life (but perhaps no more so than painters, writers and filmmakers), whose lives seem crammed with extreme experiences. And fame.Having Cash's own autobiographies to work from, the filmmakers have been able to piece together a largely reliable picture of the man, even though the film c...
Luc Jacquet's Marche de l'Empereur just got nominated for best documentary by the Academy. The film has been seen by 20 Millions viewers and took a cumulated 77M$ at the US Box Office.Director: Luc JacquetScreenwriter(s): Luc Jacquet, Michel FesslerCinematography: Laurent Chalet, Jérôme MaisonProducer(s): Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel PriouNarrators: Charles Berling, Romane Bohringer, Jules SitrukNominations for the 78th Annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, January 31 ...
Industry Editor Sandy Mandelberger sat down with veteran documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick, whose lastest film, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, is one of the most talked about at the Festival. The film is an eye-opening investigation into the secret works of the Motion Picture Association of America, the official ratings board for films that are released in theaters. THIS FILM IS NOT RATED features spectacular (and sometimes spectacularly funny) interviews with such prestigious filmmakers as John Wat...
Munich certainly makes you think; it might be about the silly continuity error of a man spectacularly falling dead on his chest crushing a large bag of his shopping, in the lift lobby of his apartment block, seen a moment later lying flat on his back. The odd thing is, there is no need at all for the second shot. This thought might keep bothering you for a while, until it is disturbed by one of the many unguarded conversations that various undercover groups have in very public places, ranging fr...
Comedy writer-director Jason Reitman returns to Aspen as this year’s Director Spotlight guest of honor at the 15th annual Aspen Shortsfest, which takes place April 5 – 9 at the Wheeler Opera House and other locations. Aspen Shortsfest’s Closing Night presentation will be Reitman’s feature debut Thank You for Smoking, which has its U.S.premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Based on Christopher Buckley's acclaimed 1994 novel and hailed by Variety as “slick, stylish and sharp-witted,”...
The 29th Göteborg Film Festival offers a broad variety of films. Asian horror meets French-Armenian love and Swiss every day life in a monastery and all of the other combinations possible when 450 short-, feature and documentary films from 60 countries are screened during a ten day period. Friday January 27th the festival will open with a screening of Sturla Gunnarsson’s Icelandic-Canadian epic Viking tale Beowulf & Grendel with Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård in one of the leading parts. Be...
